For gamers the summer sun brings with it a cold, dark shadow. While cinema goers are being wowed by endless blockbusters, emerging from the theatres with their socks fully knocked off, we are left fighting over the meagre morsels of entertainment that fall from the game industry's dining table. Stuck without fresh triple-AAA titles to feed our lust for new experiences, we have no choice but to stare longingly at our beloved consoles, dreaming of what could be and the titles that lie all those months away�

Yes, we're talking about the summer game drought. Arriving every year, as regular as clock work and as welcome as the inevitable wet British summer it accompanies, the annual drought means bad news for gamers. Or does it? Could the barren summer months in fact be seen as an opportunity, a blessing in disguise? You may well scoff at the notion - how could fewer new games to choose from be a good thing? Well, N-Europe is here to tell you with The Summer Drought Survival Guide!

1. You cannot take...OUR FREEDOM!

Let's face it; gaming can be a time consuming hobby and Nintendo fans have never had so many ways to play, with a title to fit any and every occasion. Whether it's mammoth sessions of 'Twilight Princess' or catching a quick game of 'Meteos' on the go, there are fewer and fewer barriers between us and the virtual worlds that we so love.

In this maelstrom of gaming, however, it's quite easy to miss the other things that life as to offer. Sure Hyrule is a great place to visit, and the drama of the Mario Strikers pitch is rarely matched by a trip to your local supermarket, but the great wide world is out there, with more far more levels than your average Virtual Console title! So, in these quiet times, why not swap your Master Sword for a bus ticket, your Wii-remote for a real tennis racket and rack up some experience points in the real world?

2. Video Games don't die.

As exciting as the birth of a new Zelda, Mario or Metroid title is, one shouldn't forget that the more elderly members of the Nintendo family are still alive an kicking. In a culture that is often so fixated on the 'next big thing', it is easy to forget the wealth of titles that you've never played. So, instead of pining away in a dark room, awaiting the postman to arrive with your copy of 'Metroid Prime 3', why not get on the internet, do some research and hunt down some classics?

There has never been more ways to locate the games that will fill the dark days of summer. EBay, the Wii's virtual console, second-hand shops and rental stores can be your gateway to swathes of fantastic titles at affordable prices. They may be games you always wanted to play but never got round to buying or you may stumble upon a gem that you had previously never considered. Whatever your preference, there is plenty of gems more than worthy of your attention with the ability to surprise and astound you as effectively of anything that's around the corner.

3. I must get round to finishing that sometime...

We've all done it. Arriving at your local game shop, frothing at the mouth at the prospect of the latest and greatest title, you hand over your money and make a swift exit, fingers clenched around the greatest game ever made... Speeding home at a brisk walk/sprint, the disc is slammed into your console of choice and you embark on the adventure you've been waiting so long for, plunging onward towards the game's completion... As time passes, however, something can happen. Maybe life interrupts us, we get stuck or our enthusiasm wanes, but (for whatever reason) the game never gets finished.

Nestling in the back our minds is a nagging feeling that we really should dig out that old title and put it to rest. What better time then to do so then than the long summer months that we spend so much time lamenting? That boss that deterred us from finishing the game will be easy now � we've grown and matured. We're better gamers. So pick up that rusting old sword and confront the gaming demons of your past. In short, finish what you've started!

4. Desperate times call for desperate measures...

The summer drought is going to happen � accept it. The industry has Christmas in its sights and is loading its silver bullets, readying itself to shoot. In the meantime, we have no choice but wait in anticipation. If the previous suggestions are not going to help you fill the summer void, there are more outlandish methods to use.

Why not try learning to speak Japanese, and in turn unlock the gates to the wonderful world of importing? Alternatively, you could use the Wii's internet channel, load up a video of Super Mario Galaxy and pretend to play it? Desperate those these methods may seem, they are in all probability your only hope if you are unable to fill your days with the plethora of gaming and non-gaming goodness that lies waiting to be discovered!

In conclusion...

The summer games drought isn't fun, but it is the way the games industry works. Whether or not it's the best way is open to debate, but we hope that this survival guide has put things into perspective. As cinemas cannot not rely on every film being a multi-million dollar blockbuster, so the game industry has to produce a broad range of titles, from the sure-fire mega hits to more quirky or low key efforts. That we are bombarded with the former the closer we get to Christmas is not ideal, but the quiet summer months really should be embraced, not scorned.

If every meal we eat were to be a feast, then we would inevitably become gorged, bloated and unable to fully appreciate what is being eaten. The same is true of videogames, and the summer drought is a great time to nibble on some smaller (yet not necessarily any less succulent) appetisers, building our hunger for the banquets that will be served up on the Wii and DS as Christmas approaches.

Simeon Paskell
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